Recently I attended a nursing conference. One of the speakers, Tim Cleeton, spoke about leadership. At first I thought this information is great if I was planning to go into management, but when I listened to him I thought of how a lot of what he spoke about could be applied to my Etsy shop, GoofingOff, and online marketing in general.
Have a Vision
When I started my shop I didn’t expect to make a million or be at the top (be nice but didn’t happen). I did expect to make it a way to enjoy doing what I love doing, finding awesome vintage items, providing sewing supplies, and making things from recycled materials while making a couple of dollars at the same time. I hope to build my Etsy shop into a separate website tied into the Etsy shop that I can work at long after I retire from bedside hospital nursing. My vision is having a website that people will think of when looking for cool, recycled pincushions, bags, and whatever, not to mention the most awesome sewing patterns.
Believe It Can Be Done
I am my worst enemy, the biggest burnout, and my harshest critic, still I believe I can make my shop work. It just takes time, lots of it, and work, lots of that, too. Can I do it? Not just yes, but Hell Yes! Just the same, I have to believe in what I do even when the sales and views are slow. If I don’t believe in what I am doing, no one else will either. Some of the best sales people aren’t great because the product is great, they are great because they believe in the product and get you to believe in it, too.
Have Energy and Momentum
Tim had a great quote that I’d like to share. “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted.” I don’t know who wrote it, I just know it’s good. Having energy and momentum was pretty easy when I first started. I talked Etsy to everyone. I was excited, especially when I made my first sales. I knew I could do it. Maintaining that same level of energy and momentum is difficult when sales are slow, or doing jobs that aren’t fun. Finding the cool vintage stuff is fun, taking pictures aren’t near as fun, and counting pattern pieces, well, no fun at all. Still all those jobs are part of the big picture. I use my slow times to organize (an ongoing job), list more patterns, refine photos, and think of ways to improve my shop.
Know Purpose
Mine is to supply sewing supplies, vintage patterns, vintage items, and create cool things from recycled materials. My purpose isn’t to make a living off of it, but making a living might be the purpose for someone else. Knowing purpose makes a difference in the pursuit of the goal.
Connecting
Connecting means connecting with my customers, connecting with other Etsians, and becoming a part of a team whose members have similar interests or beliefs as me. When a customer contacts me, I try to reply as quickly as possible. I try to be an active member of the team, whether that means making a treasury or taking on a job.
Empowerment
For me, empowerment means doing what I need to do, making the decisions necessary for my business, and taking responsibility for my decisions. I am empowered.
Under Promise and Over Deliver
What a fantastic customer service concept that I am taking to heart. My customers are my business. I need to make every purchase seem like the most wonderful experience they ever had. This concept builds trust and hopefully return customers.
So, I guess I was paying attention to the conference. Hopefully this advice will work for me and maybe for a few others as well.
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